Low-income consumers in Maharashtra to get free electricity for 25 years under MSEDCL’s SMART initiative

The state government scheme has an overall provision of Rs 655 crore and targets 5 lakh households, including 1.54 lakh BPL and 3.45 lakh EWS consumers who use less than 100 units of electricity per month.

The beneficiaries will also be able to earn an income by selling surplus electricity generated through their solar systems. The scheme’s implementation will follow a first-come, first-served basis. The Centre has also launched its Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Free Electricity Scheme and beneficiaries will receive a Rs 30,000 subsidy for each 1-kilowatt installation.

Under the SMART scheme, additional subsidies from the state government will further reduce consumer costs. BPL consumers will receive Rs 30,000 from the Centre and Rs 17,500 from the state, paying only a small remaining amount for a 25-year supply of free electricity. EWS consumers using under 100 units per month will also get a Rs 30,000 central subsidy, plus Rs 10,000 from the state. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) consumers will receive Rs 15,000 in state subsidy.

Each 1-kilowatt system generates around 120 units of electricity per month, allowing households consuming up to 100 units to fully meet their energy needs and sell the excess power to MSEDCL.

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